Canada’s Dangerous Escalation in the Russia-Ukraine War is Based on Lies and Deception

Op-Ed by Dan Fournier

Key Takeaways:

• Canada has been deceptively manipulated into supporting the Russia-Ukraine War
• Canadian legislation that is currently being used against Russia, and even Canadian citizens, has been created based on lies, fraud, and deception and will prove disastrous going forward
• NATO, the U.S., U.K. and other allies have no intention for peace in the Ukraine, but are rather hell-bent on prolonging the war for chaos and profit
• Our Canadian politicians – with Chrystia Freeland, Melanie Joly, and Anita Anand, in particular – are aiding and abetting in this mad pursuit
• The masses are being gaslighted into an anti-Russian, anti-Putin, pro-Ukraine frenzy through cyber warfare tactics employed by NATO and other bad actors
• Unless Canada distances itself from this war folly, the consequences will be dire for our country

As this will be a thorough post, it is divided into the following sections:

1. Introduction
2. Canada’s Sanctions on Russia (Sergei Magnitsky Law) and its implications on private property ownership
3. Canada’s Sergei Magnitsky Law & the United States’ Magnitsky Act are based on lies
4. Politicking our Canadian MPs for war profits
5. Grand Deception: more on The Browder Hoax & the U.K.’s role in the Ukraine conflict
6. Canada is being pulled deeper into this war
7. Conclusion, A path for change and peace

1. Introduction

As will be thoroughly demonstrated in this post, Canada has been duped and conned to an unfathomable extent, having become entangled in this folly that is the Russia-Ukraine War.

Entire pieces of Canadian legislation have been enacted by our foolish, ignorant, and self-serving politicians on the back of lies and deceptions perpetrated by conniving, war-mongering actors which are currently being weaponised and have already led to devastating consequences for the Ukraine, Europe as a whole, as well as our great nation.

Everything surrounding this war is not as it appears, and the masses – including our ignorant politicians – have been shrewdly duped and fooled into supporting it and further propagating the utter geopolitical mess that has resulted.

2. Canada’s Sanctions on Russia (Sergei Magnitsky Law) and its implications on private property ownership

Though legislation has already been passed (and amended) in Canada which set the legal provisions and means by which foreign officials and entities can be sanctioned, i.e., have their assets seized and forfeited, it will be demonstrated hereunder that these have been established based on lies that were further amplified by Canadian officials, including Chrystia Freeland, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

On February 2^nd, 2023, Canada, through its Governor General in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly, imposed further sanctions against Russian individuals based merely on the “opinion” that these individuals had direct involvement in the country’s invasion of the Ukraine.

Canada has imposed various sanctions against Russia for what they deem was the country’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine.

The type of sanctions vary widely and range from “peddling misinformation and propaganda”, to human rights violations, and for being “elites and close associates of the regime”, though corroborating evidence is almost never provided in their sanction documents.

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This month’s sanctions precede another notable one that occurred in December of last year whereby Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich had his assets seized under the same laws.

The key laws in question here include the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) created in 1992 and the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) from 2017.

Though these laws have been around for a while, they are constantly amended and it is also worth noting that last year, Bill C-19, sponsored by Chrystia Freeland, was passed through both the House of Commons and the Senate which gave significant new powers to the aforementioned key laws.

In short, according to Fasken, a business and litigation law firm which has been operating in Canada since 1863, C-19’s amendments appear to be in direct response to Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine and aims to work with its allies to take steps to “find, restrain, freeze, seize, and, where appropriate, confiscate or forfeit the assets” of persons who have been sanctioned in connection with the invasion.”

The dangers, however, are basically twofold.

First, it creates a dangerous precedent for asset seizure and forfeiture regardless of the nationality of individuals or entities. In other words, anyone who is placed on a Sanctions List (for whatever reason deemed valid by the Governor in Council upon a government official’s recommendation) – even Canadians – could find their assets (cash, property, etc.) seized and forfeited (sold) with little legal recourse and due process.

When asked by a reporter about Bill C-19 and seizing and selling Russian assets, Canadian Justice Minister David Lametti stated the following which confirms this current predicament:

“You don’t have an absolute right to own private property in Canada.”

"You don't have an absolute right to own private property in Canada," says Liberal Justice Minister David Lametti when asked about seizing and selling off Russian assets. pic.twitter.com/fdlaQ5LtSK

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 8, 2022

Secondly, it is poised to act as a strong deterrent to foreign investment into Canada; for, companies may see it as political and economic risks should their home country or even their own corporate positions differ in their political stances than those of Canada and its major allies.

This very sentiment was also noted by Fasken:

“Consequently, acquiring companies and those seeking to enter joint ventures are on notice to have sanctions clarity on beneficial ownership of corporate targets or partners. Sanctions due diligence and risk arises not only regarding activities abroad, but to wholly domestic transactions involving foreign beneficiaries who have assets in Canada.”

3. Canada’s Sergei Magnitsky Law & the United States’ Magnitsky Act are based on lies

But perhaps what is most concerning about the Special Economic Measures Act (SEMA) and the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) and related amendments are the lies and deceptions upon which they were devised.

More specifically, we need to look at the Sergei Magnitsky Law (Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act) that was passed in 2017.

What is most notable and telling is the name of the act itself – Sergei Magnitsky [Law].

Who was Sergei Magnitsky?

Sergei Magnitsky was a Ukrainian-born Russian tax advisor who was arrested and died in a prison in Russia under allegations of fraud.

Magnitsky is mostly remembered due to Bill (William) Browder, an American-born businessman and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, who had hired him as a tax consultant for managing his business affairs in Russia.

It is important to note that Bill Browder lobbied American officials, including Senator John McCain, to pass the legislation which eventually became the Magnitsky Act of 2012.

In Canada, it was a Canadian senator of Ukrainian origin, Raynell Andreychuk, who introduced Senate Public Bill S-226 which eventually became the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law), formally ‘An Act to provide for the taking of restrictive measures in respect of foreign nationals responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights and to make related amendments to the Special Economic Measures Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act’.

A November 2022 article by Canadian author Matthew Ehret titled The Lies of Bill Browder & the Magnitsky Hoax and accompanying interview with journalist Lucy Komisar provides overwhelming evidence surrounding the events that led to the passing of the Magnitsky laws. The article commences as follows [emphasis and links added]:

“In this Canadian Patriot Podcast, Matt Ehret speaks with renowned award winning journalist Lucy Komisar on her groundbreaking exposure of Bill Browder’s fraud in Russia and internationally, as well as the truth of the Magnitsky Hoax that underlies the virulent new technique of economic warfare that has been used to target “corrupt” politicians with a focus on taking down Russia’s leadership.”

To save the reader time from having to listen to the meticulously referenced details from the hour-long interview, here are some key highlights with links added to supporting evidence:

• Komisar describes Bill Browder as “the world’s most brilliant con man.”
• Browder was connected to a scam in which a Russian titanium company, AVISMA, was involved in an illicit transfer-pricing scheme via an Isle of Man shell company.
• Browder illegally purchased millions of dollars worth of shares in Gazprom (not allowed to foreigners) through shell companies which lead to him and Sergei Magnitsky being investigated for related tax evasion upon which he was supposed to pay $40 million.
• With the help of his accountant Magnitsky, Browder set up the Hermitage Fund which was involved in many illegal activities, including evading paying billions in taxes.
• Komisar describes the “Browder-Magnitsky Hoax” as a first pillar of Russiagate (an elaborate scheme to discredit and vilify Vladimir Putin and the Russian federation).
• Both Browder and Magnitsky were charged with tax evasion in Russia. Magnitsky was jailed, but Browder managed to flee the country. Had the due taxes been paid, Magnitsky would have been freed.
• Komisar refers to the German documentary film The Magnitsky Act Behind the Scenes.
• Komisar refers to three separate NGOs that observed prison conditions and Magnitysky himself. The first, by the Russian Public Oversight Commission for Human Rights Observance, found no proof of torture; the second, Physicians for Human Rights from Cambridge (Massachusetts) to which Browder had given documents (via Hermitage), issued a report which attested to no claims of beatings or torture; and the third, from the European Court of Human Rights, also didn’t back up Browder’s claims that Magnitsky had been tortured and beaten to death.

The above represents a very tiny summary of the wrongdoings and false claims Bill Browder has made on behalf of himself, his corporate interests in Russia, and regarding his Ukrainian-born Russian tax advisor Sergei Magnitsky.

Renowned journalist Lucy Komisar has extensively and meticulously investigated and documented Bill Browder’s countless crimes, lies and deceptions. Here are some key resources for the reader who wishes to assess the materials any further.

• Regis Tremblay interview with Lucy is a primer on the Browder hoax, Dec. 12, 2022
• Browder hoax as the beginning of Russiagate: interview on The Backstory, April 8, 2022
• Archives: The Browder Hoax (many articles)
• Audio & Video archives

The following brief account by Lucy Komisar also provides a simplified summary about Bill Browder’s fraud and the purported basis upon which the Magnitsky Act was founded:

Of particular importance and relevance to Canada, Lucy Komisar re-posted an October 2022 letter  by investigative journalist Adrian duPlessis, a veteran forensic investigator of corporate fraud and malfeasance, to the Toronto Chartered Financial Analysts Society regarding their guest, Bill Browder, to their 65^th Annual Investment Dinner Sponsors.

The expert investigator is no amateur, as he outlines his credentials in a preface to his letter:

“For decades, teamed with accountants, lawyers, police, journalists, victims – I’ve done my best to track, expose and stop harms to individuals and society. Records of those cases in which I’ve been involved can be found ’round the globe in court registries and media archives such as those of: Canada Stockwatch, The Vancouver Sun, The Globe and Mail, The Financial Post, Equity, Macleans, BC Business, The Financial Times of Canada, CBC fifth estate, CTV W5, HVG, Time, Forbes, Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, US News & World Report, Businessweek, ABC TV Primetime Live, The Observer (Guardian), The Economist, Channel Four Dispatches, BBC Panorama, ABC Radio Background Briefings and dozens+ more such sources.”

Adrian duPlessis is also an author and the recipient of a National Newspaper Award for his work with David Baines whilst at the Vancouver Sun.

The following passage regarding Bill Brower also prefaces his letter [with emphasis added]:

“The geopolitical racket which Browder and co. are in now can lead to terrible harm. If he was restricting himself to stealing money, evading taxes, and engaging solely in pecuniary crimes, much as I’d object to the corruption, it’s so much a feature of our society/culture, I’d not wade in to the fray. Manipulating our lawmakers, our press, interfering with governments, Interpol, stoking tensions between nuclear powers – yup, I’m back in.”

The outspoken former forensic investigator could not hold back when he heard that Bill Browder would be speaking before the CFA in Toronto.

The October 27, 2022 letter, addressed to the CFA Society Toronto brings to the attention of all concerned with the event with the subject ‘Re: 65th Annual Investment Dinner: “Geopolitical Risk with Acclaimed Author and Investor, Bill Browder’.

Without diving into the specifics of the letter, suffice it to say that duPlessis outlines and links to dozens of court documents and references that confirm the numerous misrepresentations of Bill Browser in his financial dealings in Russia and regarding his claims of torture directed towards his partner Sergei Magnitsky.

One such reference is that of Der Spegiel’s follow-up article retorting all of Browder’s false assertions. Another resource confirms his corruption with the aforementioned Avisma entity which Lucy Komisar had also outlined.

The list seems endless and also includes a resource, jaccuse.news, that outlines six pages packed with documents, videos, witness statements, news articles, and so on which further detail Mr. Browder’s extensive transgressions.

Adrian duPlessis ends the letter by showing the CFA/Toronto event sponsors which include Canadian financial behemoths RBC Global Asset Management, BMO (Bank of Montreal), TMX Group (Toronto Stock Exchange & TSX Venture Exchange), Desjardins, among others, asking “Do CFA members audit these companies?” The rhetorical question is surely to mock their ignorance regarding having the financial master fraudster Browder as a key spokesperson to their event.

Bill Browder’s critics are certainly not limited to Komisar and duPlessis, either.

4. Politicking our Canadian MPs for war profits

It’s no secret that politicians from all around the world get lobbied, influenced, bribed, coerced, aligned, or else incentivised to cater to whomever will get their attention and support.

This is no different in our Canadian political landscape and has been the case since its inception.

Continue reading at Dan Fournier’s Substack

As a proud Canadian, Dan is a freelance investigative journalist. The areas he is focusing on include: Financial Markets & Cryptos, Geopolitics, and Canadian affairs. He currently lives in the beautiful Eastern Townships in Quebec province.

Top image: Intertwined flags of the Ukraine and Canada. Image source: Euromaidan Press.   

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